Don't Trust A Game and It's Trailers

Charlie writes:

"Oh yippee. Another Call of Duty is being released; that brings the total to… 8 Call of Duty’s in 7 years. It’s quite interesting too, because I’ve been finding some articles stating that Call of Duty: Black Ops II could quite be the best of the franchise yet. But isn’t that what they said with Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops 1, and Modern Warfare 3? The one thing that other article writers are taking this fact from is purely from the trailer. But it’s all too often that many gamers are fooled into buying the game just because they think the game looks awesome from it’s trailer."
(Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, PC, PS Vita, PS3, Xbox 360)

I know I'll probably get bashed for saying this here, but CoD trailers always have been excellent and the music always clicks at the right segments. The B Ops 2 trailer was no exception. I applaud Treyarch for taking the franchise in a risky territory but I feel it's a change that was needed for the annual franchise. Though, I'm still approaching this title with caution as the futuristic setting may just be a layer of paint over the usual CoD features and gameplay.

I don't think that CoD games are bad, I just think everyone is burnt out by the yearly release schedule. People are also tired of buying map packs all the time. I think that Activision should go to a 2 year release cycle if they want this franchise to stay alive. I won't be buying a CoD game for at least another 2 or 3 years. My two favorite shooters right now are Bad Company 2 and Killzone 3 Multiplayer which just got released on PSN for $14.99. Bad Company 2 just got released as a PSN download for $19.99. I'll probably just keep playing these for another year for my online shooter fix. I might buy StarHawk and Ghost recon: Future Soldier also.

Jeff Gerstmann got to go to Treyarch to take a look at what they had been doing, surprisingly all they showed was SP. Branching stories AND a more open ended approach to level design could really improve this CoD over MW3.

Plus you go to the 80's....maybe explain why Woods is still alive in this trailer.

Strongly disagreed with Battleaxe. Keep em coming. They're plenty playable for Campaign, Specs Ops, Zombies, etc. at the sub $20 range. Just don't be a sucker paying $60 + map packs every year and you'll be alright. I think the MP is the biggest trash since moldy sliced bread, but again, the rest is plenty playable once the price comes down.

I doubt they're worried about the franchise surviving if it's basically the best selling game every single year and they're not going to cut half their revenue by going to a 2yr cycle.

@BattleAxe I do agree with you in some way but lets be realistic. People are not tired of COD releasing every year, people are not tired of buying map packs for COD, it'll be stupid for them to come out every 2 years if they make money every year just by releasing a new game. I do understand where you're coming from and I to would think people would want something different, I mean can people really be that daft to pay for a $60 game year around plus map packs and now $60 more if they choose for COD Elite. I don't like or play the series any more but I do know millions of people are playing it everyday. I don't know if Activision learned from Guitar Hero but we'll soon find out with COD.

keep your opinions to yourself, many people love cod (ive had all) sure they are repetative and dont explore much new things but its a fun game that many gamers like. Im sure your gonna say battlefields way better, but in others opions its a worse version of bc2 with improved graphics. But guess what graphics dont make a game and besides bf3 on console doesnt look that good, its only good on pc. Well i should already know that this is N4G (full of bf fanboys) and I like both games and none are bad it just annoys me how you dislike one thing that many like and say something the other people and like and think your right. Just dont be idiotic next time, aye?

I don't think anyone got overly hyped by the visuals on the trailer, perhaps just slightly by some of the change of settings. It is in fact the information that started dripping about the side quest structure of the game that seems like this game will be a fresh of breath air on the series.

I hate the game trailers of games which have multiplayer where it shows you a team of friends or even strangers working together like a proper squad...which would never really happen since nearly everyone is every man for themselfs.

I HATE Cod. Heck, I was the guy going around on the internet saying "COD = Children's Online Daycare". However, I dont see how anyone liking COD or hating it has anything to do with Ghost Recon FS. I only love tactical games--I played mostly Metal Gear Online and Battlefield 3 for my action fix. But I got the GRFS Beta early, and it SUCKS. Forget the bugs and glitches--it's just the core gameplay mechanics that suck. I dont have to like COD just to see that GRFS is a poor product. I waited in anticipation for a whole year since they kept cancelling it before: And now I come away dissapointed. This game does not feel like it's been in developement for as long as they say it's been. It feels like it was cheaply passed on between developement teams.

I love and hate trailers at the same time, because sometimes they get you hyped and the final product can be dissapointing. It shows the marketing departments have done their jobs well. Although that said sometimes they do bad trailers for good products. (When I mean products I mean games and films...for want of a better word).

Never. Trailers only highlight the good moments in a game and there is no telling how many of those good moments there actually are through the entire game. I always wait for feedback from gamers before buying a game.

I must say that the only one of the games mentioned as disappointing on that list which was actually disappointing to me was Dead Island. I loved Uncharted: Golden Abyss and LA Noire. I liked Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops about as much as I expected to, I'm not the biggest fan of first person shooters, but they were enjoyable enough.

I do dislike seeing pre-rendered trailers though, they often have nothing to do with the game- best example being Dead Island.

Just wondering why all the people who hate this game are talking about it so much. I saw the trailers, liked the new direction and moved on. How can you still be writing about something you hate...? Seems like self torture

COD is fast paced which makes it fun and competitive. Have close friends also make it fun. Zombies is what is going to make this game sell a lot with 8 people and big maps for it and 3arc is the company that actually tries to fix the game unlike IW and Sledge.

Its not really that fast anymore, i found BF3 to be way more faster than MW3 and a lot more action packed. Besides the speed and movement being super sluggish the spawns are ridiculously awful and everybody just camps for kill streaks, i swear instead of the game being fun it feels like its made to piss you off.

Yes MW3 is like slow paced but I don't really like BF3 like that ether. I would rather play COD4 and BFBC2. BF3 on console is just terrible and MW3 just have campers and a lot of things that ruin the Public mulitiplayer.

I think if the trailer showed the piss poor graphics of online, nobody would play. But every year people think it will be better and somehow it always get worse. Look at Modern Warfare compared to mw2 and 3. Not even a comparison.

Doesn't matter. People will continue to buy CoD. They don't even need a trailer, they could just half heartedly say 'yeah, it's coming' and CoD fans will still buy it.

This is because activision have their fans by the balls. You have a group of friends that play regulary. It's a fun social game, easy to play, your mates can sit around and have a laugh on XBL or whatever you play on. All it takes is one or two friends to pop online and say 'we caved in, we bought the new CoD!' so then the other people still playing the old CoD buy the new one as well. It's the same with the map packs. And then theres people that only buy CoD and sports game every year.

So yeah, doesn't matter if theres no trailer or the game is mediocre or whatever, people will buy it.

1. Another COD trailer is released. 2. People are excited. 3. Game is released. Laggy gameplay, lots of bugs. Short SP with ridiculous story. 4. People complain and curse Activision. 5. Go to 1.

I can't imagine how people can be that naive. I understand that millions of casuals just don't care. But there are lots of people here who can and play other games and have a comparison. Is following the crowd so strong?

Shit, I wasn't misled one bit by the Wack Ops 2 trailer, it looked MW3 but instead of Russians it had Robots. Other than it looked like the same old COD game, I feel sorry for the blind fanboys who think this is some great leap ahead, sorry kids it's not. Just another re-skin job from your big uncle Bobby Nodick.